James Laurinaitis does not have much in common with Merlin Olsen. Laurinaitis isn't friends with Ron Burgundy, while his father and uncle are the ones with television-star charisma.
One thing they do share: spots atop the Rams' list of leading tacklers in franchise history. Laurinaitis passed Olsen, Sunday, and now sits alone with 922 total tackles in his career.
St. Louis drafted "The Little Animal" in 2009 and his high-volume tackling numbers are enhanced by his ability to stay healthy. Laurinaitis hasn't missed a start in his career, taking the field at middle linebacker in 98 consecutive games. It is the third-longest active streak among linebackers.
In comparison, it took Olsen 14 years and 208 games to reach similar tackle totals.
"James Laurinaitis is the epitome of a tackler," defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said, via ESPN.com "I can't think of a better person than him to be the all-time leading tackler here."
Unfortunately for Laurinaitis, the Rams lost to the Steelers on his record-setting day. Fellow Buckeye Will Allen picked off St. Louis quarterback Nick Foles late in the fourth-quarter, setting up a Pittsburgh field goal:
Shazier Misses Start
Ryan Shazier went berserk in the Steelers' week two game against the 49ers. He recorded 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, forced a fumble and recovered another. He also left the game in the fourth quarter due to an injured shoulder.
The ailing shoulder forced him to miss practice during the week and Sunday's game in St. Louis. Quite an unfortunate setback for someone who missed seven games last year and lost his starting spot to Sean Spence at the end of the season.
Pittsburgh has a short turnaround for week four, facing the Ravens Thursday night. Shazier walked the sidelines in a sling, Sunday, so he might not be able to play this week either.
Smith Dons the Green & White
Ohio State certainly misses Devin Smith and with the way his first season in the NFL started, he probably longs for Columbus too.
The early second-round pick missed most of training camp, the entire preseason and the first two weeks of the season due to fractured ribs and a partially punctured lung. He finally made his debut with the Jets, Sunday, catching three passes for 39 yards.
As he is wont to do, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an interception attempting to hit Smith on a deep ball:
Ryan Fitzpatrick intercepted. Slightly underthrown, but WR Devin Smith could've done a better job of fighting for that ball. #NYJ
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) September 27, 2015
Play of the Week
A Jamaal Charles fumble magically fell into Bradley Roby's lap in week two, which he returned for the game-winning touchdown. He put a little more effort into this week's top play:
Nice INT by @BradRoby_1 pic.twitter.com/ef5Is91lnE
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) September 28, 2015
How They Fared in Week Three
| Player | Team | Position | Stats/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Adams | Pittsburgh Steelers | OT | On PUP list (out until Week 7, at the earliest) |
| Will Allen | Pittsburgh Steelers | S | 7 tackles, 1 interception in win over Rams |
| Michael Bennett | Jacksonville Jaguars | DT | Did not record a tackle in blowout loss to Patriots |
| Alex Boone | San Francisco 49ers | OL | 49ers record only record 156 yards of total offense in blowout loss to Cardinals |
| Philly Brown | Carolina Panthers | WR/KR/PR | 1 carry, 12 yards, 0 targets in win over Saints |
| Kurt Coleman | Carolina Panthers | S | 2 tackles in win over Saints |
| Nate Ebner | New England Patriots | DB/ST | 1 tackle on special teams in return from injury and win over Jags |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | Carolina Panthers | WR | 4 receptions, 93 yards as Carolina moves to 3-0 |
| Johnathan Hankins | New York Giants | DT | 3 tackles in Thursday's win over Redskins |
| Brian Hartline | Cleveland Browns | WR | 5 receptions, 93 yards, including a between-the-legs snag in loss to Raiders |
| A.J. Hawk | Cincinnati Bengals | LB | 6 tackles in win over Ravens |
| Cameron Heyward | Pittsburgh Steelers | DE | 1 tackle in win over Rams |
| Carlos Hyde | San Francisco 49ers | RB | 15 carries, 51 yards, critical of Colin Kaepernick after loss to Cardinals |
| Malcolm Jenkins | Philadelphia Eagles | S | 8 tackles, 1 tackle for loss in win over Jets |
| James Laurinaitis | St. Louis Rams | LB | 8 tackles to set new Rams franchise record for career tackles, 1 QB hit in loss |
| Corey Linsley | Green Bay Packers | C | Plays tonight vs Chiefs |
| Nick Mangold | New York Jets | C | Jets rush for only 47 yards in loss to Eagles |
| Jake McQuaide | St. Louis Rams | LS | Rams kick 2 field goals, punt 4 times in loss to Steelers |
| Jack Mewhort | Indianapolis Colts | OL | Moved from right tackle to guard in win over Titans |
| Andrew Norwell | Carolina Panthers | OL | Panthers accumulate 431 yards of offense in win over Saints |
| Mike Nugent | Cincinnati Bengals | K | Hit all 4 extra points in win over Ravens |
| Bradley Roby | Denver Broncos | CB | A spectacular interception in win over Lions |
| Ryan Shazier | Pittsburgh Steelers | LB | Inactive for game vs Rams due to shoulder injury |
| John Simon | Houston Texans | LB | 1 "cheap" tackle in win over Buccaneers |
| Devin Smith | New York Jets | WR | 3 receptions, 39 yards in loss to Eagles |
| Jake Stoneburner | Miami Dolphins | TE | 1 reception, 13 yards in loss to Bills |
| Donte Whitner | Cleveland Browns | S | 5 tackles, numerous missed tackles in loss to Raiders |
